More Michiganians expected to travel this holiday season

The Associated PressPassengers wait in line Wednesday at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

KALAMAZOO — As the economy shows signs of modest improvement, Michigan residents are expected to hit the road this holiday season in greater numbers than in 2009.

According to AAA Michigan, an estimated 2.9 million Michiganians will travel this holiday season, up from last year’s projected total of 2.7 million travelers. Motorists, however, will be shelling out more to fill up their gas tanks.

AAA reported that travelers on the road can expect to pay about 45 cents more for a gallon of gas than last year. As of Monday, the statewide average for a gallon of gasoline was $2.999, up 44.7 cents per gallon compared to last holiday season.

“After a challenging year in 2009, a modestly improved economic environment and pent-up demand resulted in more of us traveling this year,” said AAA Michigan president Steve Wagner. “The year-end holidays will continue that trend.”

Those on the roads will be aided by a weather forecast that calls for clear skies through the weekend.

Mark Sekelsky, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Rapids, said a high pressure system from Canada is settling over the area, providing dry yet slightly cooler-than-normal conditions.

“The overall pattern looks rather quiet for the next week,” Sekelsky said.

A storm that is developing near the Gulf Coast will make its way north around Friday, but Sekelsky said that storm will likely stay south of Michigan.

While a majority of Michigan residents will be traveling by car (AAA estimates around 90 percent), many residents will be heading to see family or friends by the air or by train.

Cilff Moshoginis, airport director at the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport, said earlier this week that 10 additional flights have been added to the runway for both this week and next to accomodate holiday travelers.

Moshoginis said he wouldn’t know until after the fact for most flights on how heavy volume was, but he has received early numbers of flights departing for Florida from the airport.

Those numbers, he said, were high.

“Especially this week and through the 30th, (the Florida flights) look to be fairly heavy in terms of people traveling.”

He said anyone taking a flight from the airport should give themselves more time as the boarding areas will have higher volumes of people with the additional flights being added.

Traffic at the Amtrak station in downtown Kalamazoo will also be heavy over the next few days, Amtrak ticket agent Janet Jackson said.

If residents are looking at traveling by train, Jackson suggested making reservations quickly or the train they want to take may be full.

“Many of our trains are close to being sold out already,” she said. “There is a real possibility the train they are looking for will be sold out if they just show up.”

Amtrak offers eight trains daily, four each heading eastbound and westbound. Jackson said no additional trains have been added for the holiday period, so expect the station to be busy and trains to be crowded. She suggested travelers who need to buy tickets the day of travel should arrive 45 minutes to an hour before departure, while people with tickets will be OK arriving 10-15 minutes early.

“My biggest tip for holiday travel: relax, it’s supposed to be fun,” Jackson said. “The train is a fun way to travel, so if (travelers) can just relax and be calm...they are gong to enjoy their trip a lot more.”